Lessons in style from Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama's evolving style – First lady Michelle Obama, who turns 50 on Friday, January 17, catches the American public's attention whenever she sports a new look.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – People took notice when Obama decided to ditch her bangs last year. She explained the decision to Parade magazine in August: "You know, it's hard to make speeches with hair in your face!"

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – For the Inauguration Night balls in 2013, Obama wore a ruby-colored chiffon and velvet gown by Jason Wu, the same designer who made her 2009 inaugural dress. Known for her continuous support of emerging designers, the first lady essentially made the Taiwanese-born designer a household name in 2009 by wearing his dress.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – For Inauguration Day, the first lady mixed "high" and "low" fashion with a belt from J. Crew, coat and dress by Thom Browne, Reed Krakoff boots and necklace by Cathy Waterman, the White House said. After the festivities, the outfit and accompanying accessories were to go to the National Archives.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama is known for her loyalty to designers and brands from a variety of price points, often wearing the same items on multiple occasions. At the president's swearing-in ceremony on January 20, 2013, she debuted a dress by Reed Krakoff, whose jackets and gowns she has worn before. Krakoff, the creative director of Coach, started his own label in 2010, style blog Mrs. O noted.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – On her 49th birthday in 2013, Obama's office tweeted images of the first lady with new bangs. Here she meets with inaugural "citizen" co-chairman David Hall.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The public's obsession with Obama's sartorial choices began with the Narciso Rodriguez sheath she wore when her family took the stage at Chicago's Grant Park after her husband's victory in the 2008 presidential election. Some lauded the choice as an eye-catching statement; others called it an eyesore.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Public opinion was equally divided on the lemongrass shift by Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo that the first lady wore to her husband's swearing-in on January 20, 2009.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Greater public consensus surrounded the ball gown Obama wore on inauguration night in 2009. The dress put designer Jason Wu on the map and solidified the first lady's reputation as having a keen eye for emerging talent.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama has been known to wear dresses from mass retailer Talbots and accessorize them with signature pieces such as this sweater from Dear Cashmere and a belt by Sonia Rykiel, worn in July 2009, according to style blog Mrs. O.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama has worn this Target dress on multiple occasions since being photographed in it as she stepped off Air Force One with daughter Sasha on August 15, 2009, according to style blog Mrs. O.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama transitioned from a daytime meeting with Mexico's first lady to an awards ceremony on February 25, 2010, wearing the same Jason Wu dress, according to style blog Mrs. O.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – At the annual Clinton Global Initiative in September 2010, the first lady played up her passion for prints with a Moschino Cheap & Chic multipatterned chemise that featured hothouse flowers on top and a digital print on the bottom, fashion consultant Mikki Taylor noted.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama highlighted the talents of Indian-born American designer Naeem Khan in this scarlet hued gown with matte crushed sequins and abstract wind-blown roses on scarlet tulle at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors, according to Taylor.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady made an entrance at the 2011 Medal of Honor ceremony in a brocade dress by Barbara Tfank that she has worn on multiple occasions since, including a recent appearance on the "Today" show, Taylor said.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady worked her signature elegance at the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Phoenix Awards in 2011, pairing a floor length, double-face paillette fishtail skirt by Michael Kors with a black top and a Peter Soronen corset belt, Taylor said.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady wore a Vera Wang gown to the Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 4, 2011.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – For lunch with Parklawn Elementary School students in Alexandria, Virginia, Obama wore an argyle sweater from J. Crew, Taylor said. The sweater has made multiple appearances since her January 2012 visit to talk about the USDA's new nutrition standards for school lunches.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama showed her right to bare arms in a Zac Posen sheath at a state dinner in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron on March 14, 2012, at the White House.

Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady worked the crowd at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a Tracy Reese sheath with pink suede pumps by J.Crew, according to Taylor.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – At the final 2012 presidential debate in Boca Raton, Florida, Obama donned the same Thom Browne fog gray dress with black lace overlay that she wore at the DNC, reworked this time with a black belt and a stone brooch, Taylor noted.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama greeted the audience at the Kennedy Center Honors in December in a striking gold lame gown by Michael Kors, according to Taylor.

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Story highlights

Michelle Obama embodies the importance of staying true to a style that fits your life and body

"She shows that you can have fun getting dressed up and still be taken seriously," editor says

Like the first lady, anyone can repeat outfits by mixing and matching or accessorizing

Her support of designers from diverse backgrounds reflects America's cultural mixture

It's tempting to dismiss Michelle Obama's wardrobe as a topic so frivolous that it shifts the public gaze from its rightful focus on the first lady's efforts to reduce childhood obesity or put healthy eating on the national agenda.

But if there's one thing we can learn from her panache for mixing patterns or flair for pairing Talbot dresses and designer shades, it's that fashion doesn't have to be frivolous.

"She's someone who has proven that you can care about looking great, and take risks in that regard, and also be an incredibly well-spoken, intelligent person who takes action and gets behind issues," said Leah Chernikoff, managing editor of style blog Fashionista.com.

As she stands on the brink of another four years as first lady, her leadership and values should get more attention than the ease with which she transitions from slacks and cardigans to cutting-edge designer gowns. But to minimize the influence of her sartorial choices deprives the rest of us of an opportunity to learn from them, fashion consultants say.

In an image-conscious society, Michelle Obama embodies the importance of honing a signature style and remaining true to it, said Mikki Taylor, editor-at-large of Essence Magazine and author of "Commander-in-Chic: Every Woman's Guide to Managing Her Style Like a First Lady." Developing a personal style that fits our lives and our bodies frees us from worrying about what to wear and lets us focus on what really matters.

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"She teaches us that to be a commander-in-chic of your life you don't have to spend a lot of money. It's not about becoming someone else; it's about becoming your best self."

As a style icon, she has the ability to inspire the public in an accessible way that one-wear red carpet fashion doesn't come close to approximating.

"When you look at red carpet you're stargazing, but when you're looking at Mrs. Obama you're taking notes," Taylor said. "We don't have time to stress getting dressed any more than the first lady does so I think it's really important to have wardrobe that you can count on that works for you."

Her outfits emphasize fashion and function, reflecting her broader platform of healthy and active living, said decorative arts historian Carmela Spinelli, chair of the Savannah College of Art and Design's fashion department. When she bares her arms for a gym class with schoolchildren, she makes headlines on the politics page and the style section, inspiring Americans to hit the floor for push-ups and reconsider sheaths under cardigans.

"It's not just great for the fashion industry, but also great for helping us get out and move by showing that the body is just as important as the moment in fashion," Spinelli said.

Her support for emerging designers of diverse backgrounds and influences has bolstered the fashion industry's bottom line while reflecting the country's diverse cultural landscape, Spinelli said.

"When I think about Michelle Obama and how she has embraced young designers and how she is very comfortable with color and texture, it's a brilliant metaphor for the diversity of 21st century America," she said.

What Michelle Obama wears also matters because it's history, said Nicole Phelps, executive editor of Style.com.

"Fifty years from now, or 100 years from now, people will understand this era through pictures of her, the same way that Jackie Kennedy's pillbox hats represent the 1960s for us now," she said.

As rarefied as her address at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is, Michelle Obama's basic look is not difficult to obtain, say fashion insiders. They offered some tips to cultivate a signature style not unlike the first lady's.

Develop a personal style that accentuates the positive

Owning your personal style makes shopping easier because you can do so without feeling beholden to trends. Sticking to what flatters you also helps you dress with confidence each morning without feeling the need to seek approval from others.

"Every woman in America knows that FLOTUS has great arms; that's because she knows it and she shows them off in sleeveless dresses," said Phelps of Style.com.

Michelle Obama is tall and statuesque but she's not the typical model size. Yet she looks great in whatever she wears because she has figured out what works for her body and lifestyle and stays true to her personal style, said celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch.

"She takes chances and tries different things, but she always stays true to herself in trying a new designer or a new color," he said.

Be fabulous and frugal by mixing high and low fashion

Even if you can't afford designer clothes, Obama's fast-fashion skirts, sheaths and dresses accessorized with a belt or cardigan show how you don't have to spend lots of money to look good.

It also goes back to staying true to a style that fits her body and lifestyle, whether she's stepping out of Air Force One in a Target dress or making a grand entrance in a floor-length gown at a White House state dinner.

"She looks equally well-dressed whether she's in Target or a Talbot sheath or Michael Kors," said Taylor. "I don't know any other first lady you could see on TV one day and buy (what she wore) in a store the next."

Part of what makes Michelle Obama so relatable is that she wears designer clothes but mixes them with pieces from J. Crew and other mall outlets, often in the same outfit, said Chernikoff of Fashionista.com.

"That's an easy takeaway for all of us -- buy the Calvin Klein skirt and wear it with a Gap sweater," she said.

Build a timeless wardrobe of signature pieces so you can shop your closet

The first lady is known for working the same dress, skirt or cardigan on multiple occasions by mixing and matching pieces, Taylor said. She achieves this by building a bankable wardrobe of flared pants, pencil skirts and cardigans that work for her in a pinch, freeing her from the need to follow trends.

"Being comfortable in your own skin is not about following trends but setting them," Taylor said. "A woman who knows how to dress well shows wisdom and restraint and doesn't give into the fashion insecurity of thinking you need a new dress for each season."

True, much of Michelle Obama's wardrobe consists of expensive, quality designer clothing. But spending more on items made to last can cost less over time and reinforce the idea of developing a sense of style and staying true to it, said Spinelli of Savannah College of Art and Design.

"The idea of disposable fashion is costing us more than we know, so it's not a bad thing to teach people to buy something good and keep it for a while instead of throwing it out."

Don't be afraid of colors and prints

Obama has embraced mixed patterns, textures and vivid colors, but her confident fashion sense allows her to mix it up with authority.

By wearing watercolor sheaths under embellished cardigans to talk to schoolchildren about healthy eating, or textured floral dresses to meet heads of state, she shows that it's not frivolous to express yourself through fashion while doing the serious work of the first lady of the United States

"She shows us that you can have fun getting dressed up and still be taken seriously and move issues forward," Chernikoff said.

Are you anxious to see what the first lady wears to the inauguration events this weekend? Share your take on her style choices in the comments section below.

President Barack Obama said Monday in his inaugural speech that the nation must come together to meet the challenges of the day, saying: "We are made for this moment, and we will seize it - so long as we seize it together."